My last batch of Hefeweizen turned out pretty good.  Fermentation got a little too warm resulting in a mild off-flavor.  The clove flavor dominates, however, and there is a definite hint of that peppery spice at the end of a swallow.  Color is way off; the beer is more amber than yellow; this issue may not be avoidable as long as I’m brewing with malt extract.

So, what’s the plan tonight?  First, the recipe:

6 lbs of Northern Brewer house brand wheat malt extract
1 oz. of Tettnang hops with 3.5% Alpha Acid (boiled for 60 min.)
1 packet Safebrew WB-06 Bavarian Wheat yeast

That’s it!  Hefes don’t use specialty grains so this recipe is very simple, which makes it good for a late night session where I don’t want to be up until 1:00 AM.

What am I doing different from last time?  Several things:

• I’m doing a full volume boil with about half of the malt extract.  The other half will be added for the last 15 minutes of the boil.  That might help lighten the color.
• Different yeast.  Last time, I used Danstar Munich Wheat yeast.  It’s a good yeast but it is not very tolerant of higher fermentation temps.  I can’t get my beer much below 72 F in the basement, which was too high for the Danstar.  The Safebrew yeast is supposed to work OK (i.e. no off-flavors) up to 75 F.  I’ve never used this one before, but I’ve had great success with their S-04 and S-05 yeasts (for British and American style ales, respectively) and I have high hopes.

That’s it, really.  We’ll see how it goes.  I should be drinking this batch in about 4 weeks and I’ll post an update then on how it turns out.
 

MILD ALE
Batch 1

4 lbs light malt extract
8 oz. 40L Crystal malt
4 oz. Chocolate malt
1 oz. Fuggles hops

Steeped the specialty malt for about 20 minutes until the temperature in the brew pot reached 168F.  Boiled the malt extract and hops for 60 minutes.  Pitched a packet of Safale S-04 dry yeast to start fermentation.

Mild Ale is an historical beer style that is not nearly as popular these days as it used to be.  Back in the 19th century, mild was a low-strength beer drunk in great quantities by manual laborers in factories, mines, and other heavy industrial areas.  In the days before bottled water, pop, and other beverages, mild would be drunk for breakfast, on breaks (if any) and for lunch.  So it had to be refreshing and hydrating but not as intoxicating as regular brews.  Making a beer with only 3 or 4% alcohol that is also tasty can be a challenge.  Specialty malt like the Crystal and Chocolate add character and heft to the beer without adding sugar that can be fermented by the yeast (which is what produces alcohol).  Hops are usually kept to a minimum, adding just enough bitterness to offset the sweetness of the malt.

Mild is considered a niche drink these days and it’s hard to find good examples commercially.  I myself have only had one opportunity: a bottle of Gale’s Festival Mild that I ran across at the Brickskeller in Washington DC.  With less than 5% alcohol, it wasn’t going to impair me and tasted seriously good.  Mine will be ready to drink in about 6 weeks.

Got more pictures posted to the picture page. These are all from February and mostly just shots of Rayna lounging around the house. There’s a great one of her sitting on the steps with one of my books (that I had foolishly left on the coffee table). You’d swear she was reading it.

And finally I get to the Big News. It looks like Rayna is going to have a playmate in her very own family. Yep, we’re having another baby. This was a bit of a shock for all of us but I’m happy. I think it will be good for Rayna to have a sibling that is close to her age. We don’t have an official due date yet but it will probably be late October or November.

Guess I have to go get the baby stuff out of storage. Who’d have thought?